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BB#49: Money is the Root of all Ebil

What is "rich" in EVE? Is it simply having more ISK than most everyone else, is it measured in raw numbers of some other ethereal quality? Can you actually be poor? Have you ever lost nearly everything and had to claw your way back? If you are rich, how do you know and how did you get rich? --------------------------------Somewhere in the archives exists the log of a convo in which Mr. Javix is overcome with joy when he discovers that he has recently made more than ONE MILLION ISK!Once long ago, back when rigs came in one size fits all "LARGE", Mr Javix managed to accumulate - thru hard work and daily trips to Empire - the rather hefty sum of nearly 20 BILLION ISK.Mr. Javix lost it all due to wars, travel, re-location, loss of assets and other bad luck drama over the years. Mr. Javix now lives a comfortable life of leisure and contemplation in his retirement penthouse in Hevrice.NOT!!!ISK IS THE DEVIL!!!!!Too much money is in the hands of too few capsuleers! We must forcibly re-allocate hoarded assets and re-distribute the collected wealth that has gone un-checked in New Eden. We will only achieve this universal leveling thru violence, aggression and the seizure of all assets that perpetuate the unbalanced, money-grubbing, and hoarding that is endemic of so-called Industrial, Military, Faction and Empire-centric concerns.Wake up people of New Eden. While you labor for pennies a day in the factory sweat shops and booster fields on your dirt-ball worlds, the rich get richer above you. The immortal Capsuleer Cabal rules with an Iron Fist and must be denied solace and sanctuary.We, the unjustly labelled "criminals" and "pirates" of New Eden are the front line of this effort on your behalf. We will scourge the skies of the wealthy and pod the immortal evils of greed, corruption and entitlement. The 1% must never be allowed to dictate to the 99%. We are the mass, we are justice, we are the sword of righteousness.That is kinda, sorta what I do.Every dime I make goes to ships, mods and support. I maintain a base-line for security and operational expenses, the rest goes into the hanger. I am not wealthy. But I am the richest man in all of New Eden. Because I have what money cannot buy. I have my Corp, my Ships and my Family. And yes, they are listed in that order on purpose.And while some of that above nonsense is fun role-playing, the kernel of truth springs forth. I strongly believe there is far to much wealth in our game and that the accumulation of that wealth has harmed and hampered the very nature of what makes Eve special. I fervently believe that to be fact.I've been playing for just shy of five years now and I've seen it. You have also, if you'd only allow yourself to admit it. When I first started playing Null Sec was a vibrant, energetic and chaotic place full of new alliances, large and small. Wars, arguments, chaos all around. Where has that gone and why? Oh right.You might have snickered a bit at the proclamation that ISK IS THE DEVIL, but the truth is as plain as the nose on your face. While the pursuit of wealth is as natural as life, the accumulation of wealth corrupts.I'm no Saint. And I'm not Robin Hood. I'm just playing a game.But I'm on the right side. When my final chapter in Eve is finally written it will be full of awesome, amazing adventures and tales of wonder, inspiration and daring-do. Because I play to hoard memories, to accumulate adventure, and to count my blessings in the form of good fights. Things I store in my heart and not in my hanger. That is what makes me wealthy.Can you say the same?For more thoughts on this subject, please visit this here thing.

12 comments:

Aren't you guys a bunch of low-sec griefers that prey mostly on the noob and the clueless?Criminals? Pirates? "boohoo, don't despise me, I have an honour code that unfortunately makes sense only to myself and truly add to the game play. If only you could see that as your pod explodes".

"We are the sword of righteousness"? What a joke!More like "We are two-faced hypocrites" if you ask me.

When was the last time you actually took the war to that 1% in a meaningful way?Not that I blame you, the meta-game makes that endeavour suicidal and absurd.

But for f*'s sake, don't try to pretend you're part of the solution when, at best, you're just loud-mouthed bystanders, and at worst, you're part of the problem.

A game I'm having fun playing. If you aren't having fun I suggest you go talk to someone about where the bad man touched you. Lighten up and walk outside, see the sky? It's there every day. Pretty awesome stuff happens outside. It's called life. Go live yours.

In the meantime? I really don't care what you think. I don't play for you, write for you, or otherwise worry the width of an ant's ass hair what you think. You obviously know nothing about me, my history, or anything else of any importance.

It's a damn game, why so much crap about e-honor and doing what is right or whatever. It's a game and it's only meant to be fun. If you're wasting you entire time mining because you need isk for that 10billion pinata but you're bored to death. Then you're not playing it as it should. Besides once you get your magic pinata it will be probably blown by us. While we laugh our ass off and waste your hard earn isk in rum and brothel hehe.

This hit home for me very strongly tonight, thanks to my current situation.Wallet balance across 3 characters on one account after liquidating most of my assets: 80mil isk.My goal is living in low-sec, but every time I get an industrial almost hooked up to ship what I have in I hesitate."What if I lose what ships I have?""Is my balance going to keep me afloat?""What if I get trapped forever in lowsec without the isk to get back on my feet?!"

But then you come along talking about how isk is the devil. I believe you've mentioned previously you feel pirates should sit on the edge of poverty. But what do -you- define as rich or poor in your profession? Did you used to have a threshold where you would become nervous?

I guess as long as you have a ship of some kind you have a shot.Now if only I would quit getting them blowed up, I might prosper. ;)

Finally, on an old account I used to follow the politics of Null a lot more. I remember there were a lot more interesting powerplays. But maybe that's nostalgia and broken memories. Maybe it was always like that. It would explain my constant hatred of null.

I've been broke in Eve before, a couple of times actually. It isn't the end of the world. For one thing I had a good corp of people around me that helped me get back on my feet, that is very important. And being broke taught me some valuable lessons that I rely on even today. What is ISK anyway? What do you use it for? And how does it enhance or hinder your own gameplay? These are important questions.

For me, ISK is only a means to an end. I spend as much as I bring in, mostly on ships/mods. Because that is all I want out of Eve. BUt everyone is different. The "evil" comes from the same place it does in real life, greed, hoarding, accumulation and fear. Once you free your mind of such concepts, you are truly free.

Yaknow, that's something I keep forgetting. I think FW and bad gatecamp experiences broke me a little - I catch myself obsessing over a long term T3 goal that I'll probably lose in a day and a half, knowing how I fly.

I think you've raised an excellent point to me, something I need to think about. Well, not really. Something I just need to hurry up and -do-.

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